The Black Keys Cancel North American Leg of International Players Tour
The Black Keys have abruptly canceled their upcoming North American tour.
The 31-date arena trek — which was scheduled to launch Sept. 17 in Tulsa, Okla., and wrap Nov. 12 in Detroit — quietly disappeared from Ticketmaster’s website without explanation on Friday (May 24).
The upcoming jaunt, dubbed the International Players Tour, was in support of the rock duo’s 12th studio album, Ohio Players, which debuted and peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in April.
A handful of venues that were scheduled to host the Black Keys — including Austin’s Moody Center (Sept. 18) and New York’s Madison Square Garden (Oct. 30) — acknowledged the nixed dates on their websites and noted that ticket-buyers would be refunded.
“Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel this event,” the Moody Center’s date noted. “Ticket holders, please check your email from Ticketmaster for more info.”
The Black Keys have also removed the upcoming North American tour dates from their website, except for a lone appearance at Chicago’s NASCAR Street Race on July 6.
Billboard has reached out to the Black Keys’ representatives for comment.
The cancellation arrives on the heels of Black Keys’ appeared on NBC’s The Voice, where members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney performed their song “Beautiful People (Stay High).” The pair also recently completed the European leg of their tour in mid-May.
The Black Keys launched three singles in the lead-up to the full release of Ohio Players on April 5. Lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High),” which features writing contributions from Grammy-winner Beck, became their seventh chart-topper on Alternative Airplay, spending two weeks atop the ranking.
Mitchell Peters
Billboard